Oklahoma Land Run 2009

What an enjoyable weekend to be had!

I took off work Thursday to get my truck and trailer ready as I wasn't home the weekend prior to do so. But your not hearing complaining from me. I am blessed that my Sergeant let me off on such short notice for the preparation of this event.

Friday morning found Summer and I on the road at 6am. It was a very nice drive and I was at camp at 10:30am. I got a great spot right near all the amenities (manure dump station, porta potties, dumpster, water, wash rack and water trough). If you are not a horse camper person, all those things would sound disgusting. LOL

Not much camp to set up and I have gotten to setting my camp up, down to a fine art. I also got my air mattress and such made up that Thursday so I wouldn't have to deal with it Friday. I am sure my neighbors thought I was nuts. LOL

Checked in with management, then went for a short ride on the yellow loop with Patti, Kim and Liz. Once I got Summer re-groomed, I checked her in with the temporary vet judge. Our judge was stuck at an airport and one of the competitors is a NATRC vet judge and was kind enough to check in Open and Novice, but couldn't do the CP class as that was the class she was in.

Friday night, I slept quite well and we were on the trail by 8am I believe. It was a beautiful trail, as usual. The weather was overcast and windy with the occasional drizzle, but nothing that got you real wet, just enough to feel good. Summer and I started out to mid/back of the CP/Novice pack, by the end of the second loop, we were right behind Liz, who started out right in the front. I know, I know Jonni...open, open, open...LOL. I was about 20 or 30 minutes ahead of time, so I lingered a little too long in camp, but nothing that made me late. It actually put me right back on mid time. During my camp break, I met a first time competitor named Susan and her little POA Sprinkles. He was little, but he did his darnedest to keep up with Summer, but he never got upset if she left him. I think it was more Susan wanting to keep up with me. So I took her on and decided I wanted to do my first mentoring job. And I really enjoyed it. She is an endurance rider with most of her rides in California and on Saddlebreds. She seemed to really have a good time and I was glad I could help her with all her questions.

The third loop really seemed to go by fast and I really did enjoy Susan's company. She was like a sponge on wanting the knowledge of NATRC and what goes along with it.

Our first obstacle of this day though, was logs placed as cavaletti. I looked down as I felt Summer was rushing a bit, so I lost a half a point, but Summer received an excellent with a plus on her card. Guess I should rely and trust my mount more like Janine said. (smile) The second was a creek crossing and I received an excellent with a plus. The third was what usually gets me with the horsemanship judge. It was a down hill, and it was a pretty good down hill too. I have really been working on those as more often than not, I usually get a "down in the saddle" by the judge and loose points. But I got a good on my card and was very pleased. The vet judge, Kay, does do trail obstacles, but mostly focuses on metabolics, and that is what it should be about, I really like that about her. And I really liked this horsemanship judge, Janine, she was a very nice lady and I can't imagine why anyone would gripe about her. Hm? Oh well. Don't know the whole story, so can't tell ya.

The next day I decided I would like to ride with Susan and Sprinkles again. After our morning off side mount and trot out. Which, BTW, I got a half point knocked off cause Summer took a step and another half point because I landed slightly heavy in the saddle. Off side mounts, don't like them. I feel like I am going to fall off the other side. (smile) Anyway, after we were standing around after everyone was finished, Susan decided to get off and put her rain jacket on. Once she was off, the jacket spooked Sprinkles and he was off like a flash. After his little speed exhibition, I walked Summer to where he was as he had already buddied with her. She was standing in the paved with gravel road (big gravel) and something he told her made her spook. She about came unglued. She was all over the place on that gravel. I lost a stirrup, my left rein, and my seat. I looked down at the ground while she was still freaking out and legs going everywhere and thought to myself, "I cannot fall off, that gravel is going to hurt like hell", so I wrapped my left arm around her neck and tried to calm her down. As fast as she started, she quit just as fast. She settled, I got my seat, my stirrup and my reins. I turned her around and everyone started clapping and cheering! LOL I stood in my stirrups, raised my arms and hollered, "Thank you!" I heard someone say that was 8 seconds, and someone else say that if the judges saw that I would have received an extra plus. LOL Summer was still shook up, so I took her to a clearing and did some bending and basic exercises to get her mind off of what just happened. I wasn't mad at her at all. I figure, they can have bad days too. At least I think that of her, because she has never done that, and she has never given me a reason to think that she is dangerous. Anyway, after about 5 minutes or so in the clearing, she was calm and ready for the day. Greg, (who's stallion reared straight up on him right after Summer settled) told me later that day that it looked like Summer was panicking, because she couldn't get her footing on the gravel after the initial spook. I imagined it like me trying to stand on marbles and trying not to fall. He said she didn't look malicious, just frightened because of the gravel rolling out from under her feet.

Anyway, our obstacles for Sunday. The second was back the length of a log. Linda Courts taught a few of us last year at the grasslands about an idea of an invisible beach ball and using it to get your horse to back. I have been practicing at home and put it to use this weekend and was very pleased that she responded. I got an excellent. I told Janine about what I had been taught and that I liked it because I wasn't jerking on the horses mouth. I think she was pleased. Summer got a very good, slt crooked. And she was slt crooked, my fault, she did exactly as she was told. This was only an 11 mile day which made it for a very nice ride and time for visiting with one of the newest NATRC members, Susan. I think she is going to be a fine asset to NATRC and she promised she would be back. Another good thing about this day, we saw several deer about 3 different times this day and 2 of the doe followed us just a short way, until Summer snorted and scared them off. LOL

There was 11 in my class and I placed 4th and Summer placed 2nd. I am real proud of her, but once again, as Patti called it, she was the bridesmaid. LOL I thought that was hilarious. I was calling it the "elusive blue" LOL. But I tell you, if/when she ever gets one, I am going to bawl like a baby! As Jonni said, "never be embarrassed by a few tears..." And I won't be.

Oklahoma Land Run CTR

Whew, what a ride!!!! My friend Liz, her step-daughter, my daughter and I, got on the rode at 5am for our 5 hour drive. We arrived right at 10am and got a good site to camp in. There were already folks there who had arrived the day before. The wind was brisk and blowing around 10 miles an hour. And right on the lake it felt cooler than the actual temps.

Well, we got camp set up. My daughter (Amanda) and Liz's daughter (Kaylee), both 17 years old, stayed with some friend's of ours named Katie and Cork in their RV. Lucky girls got a bed and we got a tent. Oh well, we brought a heater and 125' of extention cord, so we were set for the cold nights.

This is the second time I have been to Lake Carl Blackwell. The first was in 2006 at my first competition. This weekend was only my third ride ever since I have been involved in NATRC. If you have never been there, GO! It is real pretty with all kinds of wild life. During our Friday night ride briefing, a group of white tail deer, came bounding out of the woods and ran past our camp, it was so pretty.

Saturday we rode the white loop with an extra 2 miles added into it to make it 20.9 miles at 4mph. The trails were gorgeous, but I tell you, if a non horsey person saw the trails, they would ask, "are you really going to make your horse climb that!?" My friend counted approximately 14 downs and back ups. And they were steep, boggy, and contained large boulders. But they were pretty. You really had to trust your mount to get the job done. I just got off Summer's back, gave her her head, and said what I always say to her on steep hills, "up, up, up." But, they have to walk up them, if the horsemanship judge catches you trotting or running, you will lose points. And the judge this weekend, Patsy Conner, likes to hide and she is a tough judge but a very sweet lady. So there were a couple of times she was judging us on trail and we never saw her.

I rode with Liz and her paint mare and Mary on her Arab gelding. There was one hill so steep that it was kinda scarey. I am kinda a big girl, and I just prayed Summer could get me up it. She did. Mary and Cimmy went up it first and Summer second. As soon as I got up it, I turned Summer around so Liz's mare, Jazz, could see that Summer wasn't leaving her. Well, Jazz bounded up it anyway and Liz almost came off. It was pretty scary to watch. But she held on and got up the hill.

Well, needless to say, by the end of they day they had already pulled a few horses for lameness issues. Summer's loins were a little sore so the vet judge came by my camp that evening to check her again. She told me to ice towel her and get two raw eggs, beat them, and slather it on her loins and leave it over night. Weird right, but not unheard of. In NATRC, you cannot medicate your horse, and you cannot attach anything to your horse but you can lay an ice water towel on your horses back, because it is not attached. And eggs are not medication, but for some reason, they help in reducing swelling, so they are legal. By the next morning, she was much better.

That poor girl of mine is a flat lander horse, we ain't used to those kinds of hills. I can't tell you the last time she was sore in the loins. I am always light in the saddle and totally get off her back to climb. It was just those hills she wasn't used to. And there was just so many, had there only been a few, she would have had no problems.

Sunday we only had to do 10.1 miles at 4mph. Now, at ride briefing on Saturday night, we were told these trails were MUCH easier than the Saturday trails. Yeah, right! Liz, Mary and I all agreed that they were even more technical than the previous days trails. Of course, then we had the "snowy river" twosome behind use and they were right on Summer's bum. And I watched this guy and girl going 90 to nothing up these hills and I heard the guy que his horse to run up the hills. At one hill, Summer was half way up, next thing I know, I hear his horse grunting and here he comes, right up Summer's butt. I YELLED at him, "DO NOT RUN UP BEHIND ME." And most of you don't know, I have a very load voice. He backed off the rest of the ride. Now, Liz is the president of our region, so later down the trail, I asked her, should I apoligize for yelling at him, she said no, it was a safety issue.

When we finally got back to camp, we were told to untack and get in line for check out. Well, poor Summer's loins were sore again. She would give a little and take a step if you put pressure on them. But there were horses there, much worse than her. One horse was pulled only a mile out of camp Sunday morning. Sunday morn, we had a judged mount and trot by. This one lady on a blk/wht SSH, mounted, I watched that horse give to her. His croop was flat and almost concave and his legs buckled ever so slightly. I saw her talk to the vet judge, then she rode off, but did not pull from the ride. A mile out of camp was our first observation, "do you have a knife?" was the question by the judges. I was told that when the same lady turned to get the knife out of her saddle pack, the horse almost sank. The horse was then pulled. So, these hills were tough on some of these horses. But thank God, Summer's issues weren't near anything like that poor horse and rider.

Okay, I just realized how long I have made this post. So long story not so short.

8 was supposed to start in my class, 5 finished. Because of Summer's loin issues, she lost 4 points. That cost us dearly, but not her fault. She got 4th place. But I know she would have done better had it not been for that because she got 2nd place just two weeks ago out of 12 horses. So I know, she is a CTR horse, we just need to find hills to work on.

I totally knew that I would not place too well because judge Patsy is one tough cookie.

But.... I... got... MY FIRST BLUE RIBBON IN HORSEMANSHIP!!!!!!!!!!

I about fell out!!!!!! I have started losing weight, a whole 4lbs so far. But if I want to catch that blue for Summer, I need to get the weight off!

In CTR, we always want our horses to do better than us. But if Patsy Conner awarded me a blue, then I know I can help Summer catch her first blue.

Thanks for reading!

Another wet one...yuck

Boy did it rain yesterday. Everything is icky, soppy and muddy. I just hope this dries somewhat before Friday morning. I also pray that Lake Carl Blackwell will be rideable. That is where the OK Land Run is held. It is a very pretty place, I just don't want the mud. As I am sure no one wants.

Anyway, just wanted to write something.

TTFN

Getting ready for rides...

Well, my hubby got a lot of work done on my trailer this weekend. Lights, hay manger, dressing room door, metal molding, center divider, the hitch, the roof and I know a couple of other little things. But, now it is usuable. It still needs some cosmetic surgery, but it is now functionally sound. I took it to a car wash last night, only had a couple of dollars in quarters, but it looks a lot cleaner than it did. I just need to do some spot cleaning now. I was in a hurry to get my trailer done because, well, first of all he promised to get this stuff done, second, it will be going on its first CTR with me on the first weekend in April to the Parrie Haynes, Deep in the Heart of Texas ride. That is, unless I hitch a ride and split gas with someone.

This weekend, Liz and I will be going to the Oklahoma Land Run in Stillwater, OK. Once again, I am excited and nervous. And once again, I hope we just finish sound. This is the first ride Summer and I did in 2006 and her metabolics were horrid. She still placed 6th out of 10 horses, but had she not lost 7 metabolic points, she would have had a perfect 100 on her score card because her obstacles were great. Hopefully, with the conditioning I have been trying to do with her, she will do better with her mets. I did buy some electrolytes just in case, but hope I do not need them.

Please keep us in your prayers that we have a safe trip and a safe ride.

TTFN

No Freeze R Burn for me...

I just couldn't do it. My tooth, jaw, gums, head, you name it, on the right side of my face, is still hurting. Not as bad as before the dentist. But I am not going to chance on paying money to have fun and ride and then be in pain. I didn't want to be miserable and I didn't want to make my friends weekend miserable by my moaning and whining. There will be another ride. I just need to get this tooth taken care of.

On the plus side, Summer is in the best shape she has been in, in a while. So I need to keep that up for the Girl Scout Scamper CTR in March. Plus I want to do the OK Land Run in March as well. So I figured I will do some good ground work with her for now. She is not real fond of plastic bags, so we will work on that. And side passing to the right has little to be desired. And I need to work on my ground mounting and off side mounting. Other than that, no real obstacle issues for her. As far as the mounting goes, those are my issues, not hers.

It is supposed to be a beautiful weekend here and I really want to get some riding in, even if I need to take some pain meds for my tooth to do it!